Mop



y 1963 w. c. ALBERTSON, JR 3,090,059

MOP

Filed Nov. 10, 1961 INVENTOR.

United States Patent MOP William C. Albertson, In, Lakeweod, Ohio, assignor to Erie Mop and Wringer Company, Girard, Pa., :1 corporation of Pennsyivania Filed Nov. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 151,526 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-119) This invention is an improvement in mops which simplifies the assembly. The mop handle is assembled by pushing into the handle socket and is held in the socket by the retainer -for the mop squeezer plate hinged to one edge of the mop head. The mopping element is carried on a plate which snaps onto the mop head and is held by the hinge knuckles for the squeezer plate.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a side view of a mop, partly in section, FIG. 2 is a reduced top View of the mop with the mopping element removed, FIG. 3 is an enlarged section through the handle socket, FIG. 4 is a section on line 44 of FIG. 3, FIG. 5' is a diagrammatic view illustrating the assembly of the mopping element into the mop head, FIG. 6, is a side view of the handle clip, and PEG. 7 is a front view of the clip.

The mop is made in three parts, a mop head and a squeezer plate 1, a mopping element 2, and a mop handle 3. These parts may be assembled at the point of sale or use.

The mop head and squeezer plate assembly is conveniently made from steel stampings. The head stamping 4 has a hook flange 5 along its front edge and a plurality of hinge knuckles 6 at its rear edge. On the upper side are formed open ended sockets 7 for receiving supporting wires 8 carrying a squeegee or brush 9. At the center of the stamping 4 is an opening 10* through which extends a handle socket 11. At the lower part, the metal from which the handle socket is for-med partially encircles the handle providing a slot 24 in the back side of the socket as is shown in FIG. 4. At the upper end, the metal overlaps at the back side of the socket providing a re-enforcement for a slot 2 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The handle socket has a flange 12 underlying the stamping 4 and suitably secured thereto, for example by spot welds 13. The squeezer plate 14 is hinged to the rear edge of the mop head, for example by slots 15 in the front edge of :the squeezer plate through which the hinge knuckles 6 extend. On the upper side of the squeezer plate is fixed a handle 16 of length sufiicient to provide the required leverage for squeezing or wringing the mopping element.

The handle socket 11 has provisions for holding the handle in the socket and for releasably holding the handle 15 of the squeezer plate up against the under side of the handle socket so the squeezer plate will be out of the way during mopping operations. This comprises a sheet metal spring clip shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7. At its upper end the clip has a detent 18 which extends through an opening 1 in the squeezer plate handle. The detent is made by folding the upper end of the clip member. When assembled, the lower side 20 of the detent butts against the handle socket and holds the clip in place in readiness for assembly of the handle. The clip has a horizontal portion 21a extending through a slot 22 in the upper end of the handle socket 11 and a straight portion 21 depending within the handle socket close to the lower end of the socket. As shown in FIG. 4, the portion 21 of the clip extends chordwise of the handle socket and bridges the slot 24 in the back side of the socket. On the side of the portion 21 adjacent the handle 3 are struck-out teeth 25 which are inclined downwardly toward the bottom of the socket so as to dig into the handle and resist pulling of the handle out of the socket. There is sufiicient springiness in the teeth 25 and in the strip 211 to accommodate the widest variation in diameter of wood handles while still maintaining an adequate grip between the handle and the handle socket. With this construction, the assembly of the handle into the socket is very simple. The handle is merely pressed downward into the socket and once inserted, cannot be removed. In order to limit the insertion of the handle in the socket, there is an inwardly extending flange 26 at the lower end of the clip. The operation of inserting the handle insures firm positioning of the detent 18 for holding the squeezer plate handle 16.

The mopping element 2 may comprise a block 27 of cellulose or other suitable sponge material cemented to a metal plate 28 having depending flanges 29 and 30 at front and back edges. In assembly of the mopping element onto the mopping head as illustrated in FIG. 5, the front flange 29 is hooked into flange 5 at the front edge of the mop head. The mopping element is then swung upwardly against the under side of the mop head and is snapped into place and held by resilient engagement of the hinge knuckles 6 with the rear flange 30 of the mopping element. The mopping element may be easily snapped in place and when replacement is required, may be easily removed. Although ordinarily the mopping element will be assembled in a central position relative to the mop head, it is possible to assemble the mopping element in an oil center position if desired.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a mop, a mop head having a depending hook flange along the front edge of the head and a plurality of depending resilient hinge knuckles along and projecting beneath the back edge of the head, a handle socket extending from the top of the head, a mopping element having a plate to which mopping material is secured, the front edge of the plate being hooked under said hook flange and the back edge of the plate being snapped under and held by resilient engagement of said hinge knuckles, a squeezer plate hinged to said knuckles and having a handle for exerting the required squeezing pressure, said handle socket having at its upper end a slot presented toward the squeezer plate handle, a clip extending through said slot having a detent portion outside the slot for holding the squeezer handle and having a strip depending axially within and extending chordwise of the handle socket and having teeth inclined inwardly and downwardly toward the bottom of the socket to grip and retain a wood mop handle inserted in the socket, the strip and teeth having sufficient springiness to accommodate the variations in diameter of wood mop handles while maintaining an adequate grip between the wood mop handle and the socket.

2. In a mop, a mop head, a handle socket extending from the top of the head, a squeezer plate and handle therefore operatively secured to the head, said handle socket having at its upper end a slot presented toward the squeezer plate handle, a clip extending through said slot having a detent portion outside the slot for holding the squeezer handle and having a strip depending axially within and extending chordwise of the handle socket and having teeth inclined inwardly and downwardly toward the bottom of the socket to grip and retain a wood mop handle inserted in the socket, the strip and teeth having suflicient springiness to accommodate the variations in diameter of wood mop handles while maintaining an adequate grip between the Wood mop handle and the socket.

3. In a mop, a mop head having a depending hook flange along the front edge of the head and a plurality of depending resilient hinge knuckles along and projecting Patented May 21, 1963 beneath the back edge of the head, a handle socket extending from the top of the head, a mopping element having a plate to which mopping material is secured, the front edge of the plate being hooked under said hook flange and the back edge of the plate being snapped under and held by resilient engagement of said hinge knuckles, a squeezer plate hinged to said knuckles and having a handle for exerting the required squeezing pressure, and a clip having a detent portion for holding the squeeze: handle.

4. In a mop, a mop head having a depending hook means at the one edge of the head and a plurality of depending resilient hinge knuckles along and projecting beneath the other edge of the head, a handle socket extending from the top of the head, a mopping element having a plate to which mopping material is secured, one edge of the plate being hooked under said hook means and the other edge of the plate being snapped under and held by resilient engagement of said hinge knuckles, a squeezer plate hinged to said knuckles and having a handle for exerting the required squeezing pressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,155,893 Fulton Apr. 25, 1939 2,550,397 Bagley Apr. 24, 195-1 2,666,949 Greenleaf et a1. Jan. 26, 1954 2,869,161 Cooper Jan. 20, 1959 2,941,226 Kautenber g June 21, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 548,683 Italy Sept. 28, "1956 

2. IN A MOP, A MOP HEAD, A HANDLE SOCKET EXTENDING FROM THE TOP OF THE HEAD, A SQUEEZER PLATE AND HANDLE THEREFORE OPERATIVELY SECURED TO THE HEAD, SAID HANDLE SOCKET HAVING ITS UPPER END A SLOT PRESENTED TOWARD THE SQUEEZER PLATE HANDLE, A CLIP EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT HAVING A DETENT PORTION OUTSIDE THE SLOT FOR HOLDING THE SQUEEZER HANDLE AND HAVING A STRIP DEPENDING AXIALLY WITHIN AND EXTENDING CHORDWISE OF THE HANDLE SOCKET AND HAVING TEETH INCLINED INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE SOCKET TO GRIP AND RETAIN A WOOD MOP HANDLE INSERTED IN THE SOCKET, THE STRIP AND TEETH HAVING SUFFICIENT SPRINGINESS TO ACCOMODATE THE VARIATIONS IN DIAMETER OF WOOD MOP HANDLES WHILE MAINTAINING AN ADEQUATE GRIP BETWEEN THE WOOD MOP HANDLE AND THE SOCKET. 